Court Blocks Trump’s Executive Order on Voter List and Mail Ballots

A federal appeals court recently affirmed a decision that has stopped President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at creating a federal list of eligible voters while limiting mail ballot delivery. This ruling affects nearly half of the U.S. states.

The judgement from the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to impose mail-in voting restrictions on 23 states prior to the midterm elections. In March, Trump issued an order for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Social Security Administration to craft a “state citizenship list” of eligible voters. The order further instructed the U.S. Postal Service to deliver mail ballots only to those on this list.

While Trump emphasized these measures as protections against voter fraud by non-U.S. citizens, state election officials expressed concerns about potential misuse and resulting disruption. Democratic officials from 23 states and the District of Columbia contested Trump’s order, filing a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Boston. They argued that the order was unconstitutional as it attempted to override the authority of states and Congress in setting election rules.

Judge Indira Talwani of the U.S. District Court, appointed by President Barack Obama, sided with these states, preventing the enforcement of Trump’s order for the upcoming elections, but only in the states that participated in the lawsuit.

The Justice Department, in a statement, mentioned that it is “reviewing all options” for its next legal actions and remains optimistic about the eventual validation of Trump’s executive order.